


Join Us (You Don't Have a Choice)

by AnitaAlways



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Autobots and Decepticons want to assimilate humanity into their race, Chases, Hiding, Non-Consensual Body Modification, The humans aren't so keen on the idea
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:01:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 5,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23147386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnitaAlways/pseuds/AnitaAlways
Summary: "Here's how this is gonna go. I find you, I drag you back to the base, we put a scrap-ton of nanites into you, you become one of us. Comprende?""Go **** yourself, you bucket of bolts."
Comments: 51
Kudos: 76





	1. Chapter 1

At some point it became clear that the Autobots wanted something from their human companions, but it wasn’t at all clear what. So Fowler began watching them more closely, bringing weapons on base, regarding them with more suspicion. Finally, it got to the point where he bugged the base so he could listen in on their conversations. But still, nothing. No incriminating evidence.

Until Raf stopped showing up at the base. And missing child posters of him went up. Fowler stayed out of the base for a while, waiting for the Bots to slip up. Waiting for the proof to show up that they were responsible. Waiting for his chance to get the truth out of them. But it never happened. Bee seemed distraught enough that Fowler actually felt bad for suspecting them. So he ended his suspicion campaign for the moment. 

Then one day, Bee brought an egg into the base and beeped something that Fowler guessed was an excited announcement. The Bots gathered around with Jack and Miko to watch, and out of the egg came a miniature Transformer. He seemed to be the equivalent of 3 years old in Earth years, and Fowler admitted he was cute. 

Fowler also noted, quietly, that he looked like Raf. A mini visor, yellow and orange paint, points on his helm that resembled Raf’s hair. Was this some kind of sick joke? Fowler frowned and restarted his suspicion campaign, this time intensifying it by pulling some strings and getting Jack and Miko under constant surveillance. The Bots must have guessed that this was happening, because they started dropping comments here and there that indicated that they weren’t happy. Arcee made some wisecracks about Big Brother, and Bulkhead commented that Miko seemed paranoid. Fowler bit his tongue about his own paranoia. 

It all came to a head when June went missing, too. Right before a date. Fowler went to the Bots first, finally sick of trying to get information indirectly. What did he see when he got to the base? Ratchet strapping June to a table with a psychotic grin. 

“Don’t worry, Miss Darby, you won’t feel a thing,” he purred. “Besides, I’ve always wanted a nurse.” 

Fowler didn’t need to hear any more. He had brought a high-voltage electrolaser, and he fired it right at the medic’s knee. Ratchet hit the ground hard, and June sat right up to free herself as Fowler ran to help. “What the @#$% is this?” he snapped at the medic, still holding the weapon. “What were you gonna do to her?” 

Ratchet got back up shakily. “That thing packs a punch. When did the fleshlings make- Gah!” Another shot had him holding his shoulder. 

“Answer the question!” Fowler shouted. 

“I was going to do her a favor,” Ratchet answered after a moment. “I was going to remove all the things that make you humans weak.” 

“Like you guys did to Raf?” Fowler asked. “Is that what happened to him?” 

“It’s kind of a shame that it took you so long to figure it out,” Ratchet shrugged. “And Bee named him Whip-Smart.” 

“His name is Raf,” growled the soldier. “You doing whatever you did doesn’t change that.” 

Ratchet got up. “Doesn’t it? He isn’t human anymore. All the memories that made him Raf are gone. He’s-” 

“A blank slate?” Fowler snapped. “And you were gonna do this to June?” 

The Autobot medic grinned. “Yep. And Optimus is gonna do it to you.” 

Fowler aimed for the head. It wouldn’t kill Ratchet, but it would knock him out long enough for him and June to have a shot at escape before the other Autobots arrived. “Let him try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The egg Raf was in: https://www.behance.net/gallery/34657165/Sci-Fi-Egg


	2. Searching: Arcee and Jack

“Jack, would you just stop and listen?” Arcee walked through the evacuated town, looking for her companion. “I know this looks bad, but it’s all for the best.” 

Jack was in a dumpster in an alley, sweating and trying to stay quiet. He listened for his partner’s pedesteps in the hopes that she would pass him and he could leave. 

Not that that seemed too good a plan. He couldn’t hear much but Arcee’s voice. “Think about it. You know that humans aren’t built to last. You get sick, you get old, you’re fragile. You have to be really lucky to make it to 90 years.” There was a pause. Arcee was probably looking through a different alley. And then… “Now, look at us. We can be fighting a war for millions of years and still be going strong. I have yet to hear of a Cybertronian death not caused by other Cybertronian life. Which still makes for better odds than the hundreds of thousands of ways humans can die. If you think about it, you’re trading up by joining us.” 

Jack allowed himself a derisive chuckle at that. Trading _up_? Being turned into a robot against his will by someone he’d thought was his friend was hardly trading up. 

Approaching pedesteps told him that maybe he shouldn’t have let himself laugh. Arcee’s voice softened. “Please, Jack, try to see reason. We just want what’s best for you. No one wants to hurt you.” 

Jack was terrified, wide-eyed and had outright stopped breathing. Arcee stayed close for a moment, and then Jack heard her get up. “I don’t want to force you to upgrade, Jack. I really don’t. Please, don’t make me.” When she left the alley, Jack waited a full minute before getting out of the dumpster and running. 

"Jack," Fowler's voice came over the phone when the teen called, "where are you?"

"At KO Burger. I had a close call." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These will just be AU one-shots.


	3. Searching: Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Miko

"Miko, calm down." Now there were three words the teen didn't want to hear from the mech who had chased her through the city and was now looking for her in a warehouse. "I know this looks bad, but-"

"Get away from me!" Miko ran through rows of shelves and boxes, trying to get as far away as she could.

Bulkhead winced at this, but continued. "But if you listen, it's not anywhere near the nightmare you think it is."

"Like slag it's not!"

"See? You even use our swears. You belong with us," Bulkhead reasoned. "Don't you remember how you said you wanted to be like me?"

"Not in this way!"

"In what way, then?" Bulkhead called. "Personality? That's only good for a hundred years with you guys. If that!"

"I'd like to remember my family, thanks very much!"

"We can find them, too. No one's saying you have to leave them!"

"I won't know them, though!"

"Of course you will. You'll know the upgraded version of them." Bulkhead looked around. "From what I've been told, Wheeljack and I were brothers before our upgrades, and look at us now!"

"No! That doesn't change anything!" 

Miko froze as her back hit a hard surface. "Hey, lil lady." Wheeljack grinned down at her.

"Of course you're here, too," Miko blanched, backing up to avoid the white and green mechs. "Why wouldn't you be here?"

"Old Bulk said he needed some help,” Wheeljack replied. “Who am I to deny him?"

"Needed help hunting down one teenage girl in an otherwise evacuated city?" Miko scoffed dryly. 

"One human in a city is like a needle in a haystack."

Miko glared up at the two as she backed up, looking for a way out. "Why do you guys even want this? For an ego trip?"

"We're just trying to help you." Wheeljack soothed. 

"Help? By stripping me of my humanity?!"

"By improving you," Bulkhead replied gently. 

"You can take your improvement and shove it right-"

Wheeljack reached down and grabbed her. "Language, kid."

Miko glared at them both, looking anywhere on her for something she could use to get the sword wielding Wrecker to drop her.

"Thinking about hitting me? Not gonna work." He chuckled, strolling out of the warehouse.

Right as he stepped out of the warehouse, a shockround hit him in the knee. "Agh!" He dropped, losing his grip on Miko. "Who the frag...?"

Miko ran over to the black car where Fowler was there, gun still aimed.

"You little-" Wheeljack growled, reaching for the car. Fowler fired again, hitting Wheeljack square in the chest before closing his car door. Miko got in the car, holding up the peace sign.

Wheeljack forced himself back to one knee and clutched his chest in agony as they drove away. "Bulkhead-"

Bulkhead picked Wheeljack up. "I gotcha, buddy."

"The little fragger shot me!"

"No wonder he's lasted this long," Bulkhead groaned, then shot Wheeljack a grin. "He can't hold on to that thing forever, though. When he loses it..."

"He's _mine_." Wheeljack growled. "Let's go get them."

"Easy, there. You need to relax. Let's just get back to base. Then we can deal with them."

Wheeljack gritted his teeth. "Fine." 


	4. Searching: Optimus and Fowler

"Come out, Agent Fowler. We mean you no harm." Optimus walked through the forest, searching.

"Bull$#%&, and you know it," Fowler shot back. "You came after me in the forest. A dark forest. With someone who's still mad at me for saving Miko from him."

"He would like to apologize for earlier. He acted rashly."

"That's his whole MO," Fowler pointed out, still shrouded in darkness. Thanks, Army Ranger training.

"And as for the other things I mentioned?"

"We can work something out." Optimus called to him.

"That doesn't include you going all Borg on me?"

"What is that?"

"The Borg? Star Trek?" A pause. "Now that I think about it, you probably never watched Star Trek when I brought it."

A giant sigh was heard nearby.

Fowler pointed his shockround at the noise.

The forest went quiet.

"Where the @#$& are you?!"

Silence.

Fowler, now on high alert, listened for any noise.

"Before you give your sales pitch, I already know why you're doing this."

A crack of a branch. "We are just trying to help you, Agent Fowler. That and nothing more."

Fowler scoffed, trying to find the source of the noise. "Hmm. Not that I buy it, but based on that, let's play a game. If you win, I'll surrender. If not, you let me go for now. Fair?"

"Perhaps. What game do you have in mind?"

"Two questions, maybe three. If you answer truthfully and even one answer satisfies me, I'm yours."

"Hm. It seems fair."

Fowler nodded. "Alright. Now. Why do you want to turn me into a robot?"

"To improve you. Humans have a very early expiration date, which can be further shortened by unfortunate incidents that their... fleshy frames can't handle."

"Improve, you said?"

"Make you better than what you are now," Optimus replied, speaking slowly as if he was speaking to a stubborn child. 

"Better," Fowler mused. "Alright, question two. Be honest."

"Yes....?"

"Do you guys think you're better than us?"

Optimus paused. “What?” 

“When you talk about what you want to do to us, you say improve. Upgrade. Make better. So do you believe you’re better than us?” Fowler asked, a chilling calm in his voice. 

Optimus sighed. "Yes, we do. And we want to make you better. Like us."

Fowler nodded. "I thought so. And you wonder why we're not fond of the idea."

"As I said, we only want to help."

"Your compassion literally can't be more condescending. By your admission, you consider us an inferior species, just like the Cons do. Just because you feel sorry for us instead of looking down on us doesn't change that."

Fowler crossed his arms.

"The Decepticons have a far more.....unethical motive."

"For doing the same thing."

"Well, yes." Optimus sounded flustered. "But we want to help you, not hurt you."

"And the Decepticons want to hurt us?" Fowler asked calmly.

"Yes. They want more soldiers."

"And you?"

"As I said. We want to....preserve you, for lack of a better phrase."

"Hard to do in a war," Fowler replied. "You'd need us to fight."

"Yes, well...." Optimus hesitated. He did have a point....

"So. Question three. What makes you any different from the bad guys?"

"You said two questions, Agent Fowler, and I have answered truthfully."

"I said two _or three_. Besides, neither answer satisfied me. I'm giving you one extra shot."

"As you wish."

"So? What is it?"

"We wish to help you, not harm you. After the....transformation, we will give you a choice of whether to fight or act as a support team. The Decepticons will not."

"Transformation,” sneered Fowler. “You say that like we're doing it of our own free will. Raf didn't. Neither did Jack."

"They did not see the... advantages."

"So that made it okay to strip them of their humanity against their will?"

Silence was the only response.

Fowler sighed. "Not satisfied. You lose the game. If you have any semblance of honor, if you have any moral authority over the Cons, you'll let me go this time like you said you would."

There was a string of incredibly rude curses from nearby, and Wheeljack came charging at him. "FRAG HONOR, YOU'RE _**MINE**_!!"

Fowler turned and fired again, this time hitting the shoulder.

Wheeljack paused, grinning. "Not this time, Fowler." He tapped a shielding unit on his wrist. "I came prepared."

"I thought you might. Honestly, I wasn't planning on that being the end all. 3... 2... 1..."

"Huh?" 

Miko suddenly burst in, ramming trees and knocking them over onto Wheeljack. "MOVE, B****! GET OUT THE WAY!" she cackled, driving the car over the trees and picking Fowler up.

Wheeljack struggled to free himself from the fallen trees covering him. "OPTIMUS!!!! THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!!!"

Optimus didn't follow. "They cannot leave the town. Letting them go now will prove a point and merely delay the inevitable. Besides, you require assistance," he said, starting to help his friend up.

"Frag that! This is the second time the little pitspawn has gotten me, and both times were just because he was-"

"I understand your frustration. I feel the same way.” 

“How the frag can anyone pick a short, fragile life over _this_?!” Wheeljack growled, motioning to himself. “We’re trying to fix them and they’re too scared to say yes!” 

“I do not know. But if we do not at least try to reason with them, what makes us different from our adversaries, who destroyed most of the Wreckers?"

Wheeljack fell silent. "Yeah, okay. Fine. I'll calm down. But Fowler-"

"Is not going to escape. He cannot get out of the city or its park. He is, as the humans say, a sitting duck."

"Hmph. Fine." Wheeljack grumbled.

"Go to Ratchet. Get your dents repaired."

"Yeah, yeah." The Wrecker waved him off as he walked away.

Optimus called for a GroundBridge and followed, a troubled look in his optics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fowler is no idiot, in canon or here. He can and will use whatever possible method of escape is open to him. Including messing with Optimus's head.


	5. Captured: Ratchet and June

Ratchet quietly pulled into the empty parking structure, lights dim. Inside a tent, June was patching up a gash on Fowler's shoulder.

The medic chuckled. It went against his honor, attacking while she was with a patient, but this was for the greater good. He could make an exce-

"I know you're there. Don't bother sneaking."

Ratchet stopped. "Well, you're better than I thought"

"Being hunted will do that to you."

Ratchet transformed out of his alt-mode. "If you hadn't run, you wouldn't have been hunted."

"I also would have been turned."

"Improved," Ratchet corrected her.

"Improved into a lunatic who thinks brainwashing people is for the best?"

"Now, now, there's no need to be rude. We're all friends here."

"We've had to hide from you. For 6 months now." June glared. "And you took my son from me.  _ We’re. Not. Friends. _ "

"We want you to have him back."

"As someone completely different! He wouldn't even recognize me as his mother!" 

"You never know..." Ratchet grinned. "I guess we're about to find out." There was a quiet engine rev from behind the medic, and a small motorcycle rolled out next to him, unfolding into a slim mech about Arcee's size.

"What the... What is this?!" June demanded, staring up at the mech. "Jack?!"

The mech glanced at the medic. "Which one is it?" June could hear her son's voice coming out of the mech, but it was... it was  _ wrong _ .

Ratchet nodded his head at June. "It's her. I'll leave you two to it."

June looked at her... no. This wasn't her son. It couldn't be her son.

The medic drove a little ways away, leaving her alone with Fowler and the mech, who Fowler glared at. "Who are you?"

"Hijack. Autobot Scout."

"Do you know who we are?"

"You are marked as a retrieval mission by Prime." He nodded at Fowler. "And she," he pointed at June, "is marked as a high-priority retrieval by Ratchet."

June choked on air. "You don't..." she whispered.

Hijack's optics flicked to her. "You seem... familiar."

"How?" June asked hopefully. 

"I....can't remember. The files are classified.....or corrupted?" He shook his head. "No matter. I need to bring you back to base."

June clenched her teeth. She wasn't going to cry. She  _ wasn't _ . Fowler was already reaching for his shockround gun.

Hijack's attention snapped to Fowler, and he narrowed his optics, glaring. "Not so fast. The others warned me about you." He slapped the weapon away, sending it skittering towards Ratchet.

"What did they say? That I've been busting my a** to not be turned into something else by force?"

"No. I got a very… uncouth warning about your little weapon." He motioned to the fallen device .

"Tell Wheeljack I hope it hurt," snarled Fowler.

"I'll be sure to. In the meantime..." Hijack lunged, grabbing both of them. "I have my orders."

Fowler reached frantically into his pocket, pulled out pepper spray, and hit the button.

Hijack just laughed. "They warned me about that, too." The cloud wafted away, revealing a visor that had snapped down over his optics.

"I thought so. There was one more thing. One I haven't used yet. June? Do you mind?"

Hijack looked confused. "What....?"

June looked at the mech and bowed her head. "Yes."

Fowler pulled out a lighter, lit it, and burned Hijack's servo. "AGH!!" the mech cried out, dropping the two humans. "Y-you actually burned me.....!"

June, tears in her eyes, ran with Fowler through the warehouse, heading for the car.

Hijack growled, clutching his injured hand. "Ratchet. Permission to engage in pursuit?"

"Permission granted," came the response as Fowler and June grabbed Miko and got in the car.

He flipped into his altmode, tearing after them the minute his tires hit the concrete. "Get back here!"

June was fighting back tears as she made it to the car. "Jack..."

His engine revved as he caught up. "Gotcha."

Fowler stepped on it, ready to lose Hijack, but a thump on the roof of the car forced him to slow down. Hijack leaned down over the windshield with a malevolently cheerful grin. "Hey there."

Fowler growled. "Sh-"

He punched a hand through the glass, yanking June out of her seat. "I'd love to grab all three of ya, but...."

June waved Fowler down from acting. "Don't. Get Miko out of here." 

"But-" 

"It'll be fine. Now do it! Order from a Medic!" June demanded, and Fowler complied. 

Hijack grinned. "Thanks for that. I'll let Prime know. He might go easy on you!" The slender mech flipped off the roof of the car, landing gracefully next to Ratchet. "Got her, sir."

Ratchet nodded. "Good. Three down, two to go."

"Um, sir...?" Hijack shifted uncomfortably.

"Yes?"

"This human....she seems familiar. Like I used to know her. Why is that?"

Ratchet looked at her. "You're family. She's just a little confused right now. Once we upgrade her, everything will be fine."

Hijack nodded quietly. "Yes, sir."

June sighed and allowed herself to sleep.  _ At least I'll be with my son. _


	6. Captured: Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Miko

Wheeljack growled as he hunted Miko. "I'm starting to get impatient with you."

"You were never a patient guy," Miko shot back. 

"Well, Jackie, she's got you there."

For that, Bulkhead got a punch in the shoulder. "Shut up and help me look."

Bulkhead chuckled. "Alright, alright. Did you lock the doors?"

"Yes, of course."

"Good. If you'd said no, I'd have smacked you."

"Try that, see what happens.” 

"Relax, we're about to reunite the Wreckers."

"Yeah, yeah."

Bulkhead sighed. "Sorry about Wheeljack, Miko, he's in a bad mood. Waiting nine months for your best friend to stop being stubborn and accept your help sucks."

Miko said something vulgar and angry in reply, and Wheeljack nearly blew a fuse as he responded in kind. 

“Upset?” Miko taunted, and Wheeljack made a strangled wheeze.

"This whole thing is happening because you guys can't take a hint. I. Don't. Want. To. Be. A. Robot," Miko bit out.

"You'll be fine! Just. Come. Out."

Bulkhead put a servo on Wheeljack's arm. "Wheeljack..."

"You're right,” the white mech sighed. “I know. I'll chill."

"Thanks. Miko, we've locked the doors, and Fowler is probably already with Optimus, so he can’t help you. You have no way out. Give up."

"It's not over until the fat lady sings," the Japanese girl hissed, “and you're a guy, Bulkhead.” 

Wheeljack knelt behind her and grinned. "Heh. Gooootchaaaa!"

Miko's eyes widened, and she bolted- right out into the open where Bulkhead was. "Miko-" 

"No!" she hissed. "No! I'm not going out like this!"

Wheeljack dove for Miko, who barely escaped and ran for the door.

"Frag! Bulk!"

"You did lock the doors?"

"I did! And welded them for good measure!"

Miko was too lost in her panic to hear; she kept trying to yank the door open or unlock it or something as Wheeljack and Bulkhead closed in, grinning.

"NononononononoNONONONO!" Miko hissed, becoming more and more desperate. Wheeljack bent down, scooping her up, and she squirmed and clawed at his servos. "No! It wasn't supposed to end like this!"

"Yes it was.” Wheeljack’s optics flashed red before going back to blue, “and now you get to join us."

"F@#$ you!"

Wheeljack laughed. "Here, Bulk." He passed Miko over.

"Shhh," Bulkhead soothed, nuzzling the frenzied girl. "It'll be fine."

Wheeljack hummed cheerfully. "Doc? Bridge us back."

The groudbridge opened, and the two mechs walked through, carrying their prize with them.

Ratchet greeted them with a wave. "How'd it go?"

"She's a little distressed, but our little Wrecker is here,” Bulkhead replied, holding her up. “Can you give her something to calm her down?"

"Sure!" The medic practically danced over with a small syringe. "Here. Should keep her out for a while."

Miko writhed in Bulkhead's grip until the syringe went in, and then she fell asleep. 

"Four down..." the green mech grinned at Wheeljack.

His friend grinned back. "One to go."

Meanwhile, Fowler stumbled into a safehouse, looking at his arm.

Silver wires were crawling up on it, reaching only the forearm so far. What he got for being careless enough to be hit by a nanite dart.

He needed something, _anything_. A gleam caught his eye, and Fowler found a... ugh. A hacksaw would have to do, he supposed.

Fowler looked at it, then at his arm. He’d have to call Miko after this to see where she was, he mused, putting his arm on the table and raising the saw.


	7. Slice of Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bee's beeps are in italics. Everyone in this room can understand him.

"Sire! Carrier! How'd it go?" The pink femme with an axe beamed up at a very upset Wheeljack.

"Horrible! The little fragger tased me again. THIS IS THE FIFTH TIME!!" He growled in frustration. "When I get my hands on him, I'm gonna-"

Bulkhead put a servo on his buddy's hand. "Wheeljack..."

The pink femme winced, looking at the mark. "Ouch." 

Bee stretched. " _He literally only has one hand now, how does he still use that weapon?_ "

"Like a madmech," the angry swordsmech bit out, rubbing at the place where the armor was charred.

The pink femme led Wheeljack to a berth and had him lay down. "Here," she said, rubbing some kind of liquid on the mark. "This help, Sire?"

He sighed in relief at the cooling salve and leaned into his sparkling’s touch. "Very much, thanks." Closing his optics, he mumbled, "Wake me up if something happens..."

"Sure thing," the pink femme smiled, then turned to Optimus Prime, who was passing her. "Optimus, can we talk?"

"Yes, Fistfight. What do you need?"

"I don't understand. Why is that guy so Pitbent on not being one of us?"

Optimus gave a tired sigh. "Hijack and Whip-Smart have asked the same thing. I do not know his true motives, but I suspect that he just cannot see that we are trying to help him."

"So he's put himself through the Pit to avoid something that would do him a lot of good for the sake of a delusion?" Fistfight asked, tilting her helm in confusion. 

"I'm afraid so. But we have our three best trackers on him right now. He will tire of this game soon enough, and then we can bring him into the family." 

The femme nodded up at her leader. 

Running by with a ball, Whip-Smart called, "Hey, Fistfight! Wanna lob?" 

Fistfight smiled. "Sure thing! Thanks, Optimus."

The Prime smiled at her. "Be careful!" he called after the two younger mechs.

"We will," came the reply in unison.

Optimus chuckled to himself. "Young mechs...."

Meanwhile, Ratchet and a white and turquoise femme worked on Hijack. "How did you manage to get a dent this big?!" the femme squawked.

"I told you, Gadget, the signpost came out of nowhere!" Hijack grumbled as he ducked a wrench meant for his helm.

"I'll say this, I admire that fleshling's ingenuity. Didn't he once hold Bulkhead back with a magnet?"

"Yeah. That was funny,” Arcee grinned. “He couldn't get his big backside out of the way in time to avoid getting caught by it."

“Don’t remind me.” 

Gatchet laughed as Bulkhead groaned. "I tell ya, we're gonna have stories when this is all over."

"Frag yes. They're gonna be great!" Hijack grinned. 

"Seriously, though, the next time you get this dumb an injury, Ratchet's aim won't look like scrap."

"Aw, come on! That's not fair!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big, messed up family. That's basically what the Autobots are.


	8. Captured: Fowler and Optimus

A year. Fowler had been at this for a year. The city was dark and empty, and supplies were starting to run low. It was so bad that Fowler was only eating one granola bar a day and had run out of weapons. The silver lining, however, was that he’d finally gotten the government to send a rescue squad after him, and it would be there tomorrow. It was a matter of hiding now. Fowler could hide one more day.

He stalked, sans arm, through the city to a nearby shelter. "Come on..."

Engine noises announced the presence of a Cybertronian nearby.

"C'mon, Fowler! It's been a year!" Hijack drove slowly, scanning.

"D-don't bother," Fowler panted. "I've done it for a year, I can do it longer. Even Prime hasn't gotten to me."

Hijack revved his engine. "Everyone gets tired."

"I've been tired for about 3 months. You guys cost me my arm, and I had to keep you guys away with the other."

"You wouldn't have lost it if you hadn't resisted."

"But then I would have been brainwashed." He had to force the words out, had to call on more strength than he liked to reply.

A laugh. "You're sounding pretty worn out, Agent Fowler."

"Doesn't change anything. I have to run out of strength before I go back."

"HAH! Sounds like we don’t have long to wait."

Fowler sneered. "Maybe. How's your servo, Hijack?"

There was an angry growl from nearby. "How's  _ June _ been doing, Fowler?" Hijack shot back.

A low blow, but Fowler didn't answer. Instead, he hissed and kept on his path towards the safehouse. 

The opening of a groundbridge didn't even slow him down.

Optimus drove out of it with Wheeljack, Arcee, and Bumblebee in tow. "Fan out. Find him. He has nowhere to run now."

Fowler shook his head, forcing himself to keep going, clenching a fist that wasn't there as he stayed quiet and hoped against hope that they wouldn’t see him.

The mechs behind him split up, one by one, until only Optimus was in pursuit.

Fowler refused to look behind him. He couldn't afford to focus on Optimus at the moment.

There was a screech as a motorcycle nearly ran him over. Fowler stumbled back, but as if he was a machine, kept on going seconds after.

Hijack cackled. "See? You're walking like a robot! You’re already halfway to being one of us!" He pulled up short suddenly, slowing down. A pause. "Yes, sir."

"What..."

Fowler turned to look at Hijack, but didn’t break stride. The motorcycle suddenly skidded to a stop, pulling over to the side of the road and transforming. But the small reprieve did very little; Optimus caught up moments after.

Fowler clenched his teeth. "No," he forced out as he looked at his shelter. Just a few more feet. He could do that.

Optimus revved his engine, speeding up. "You are cornered. Outnumbered. Unarmed. It’s over. Give it up, Agent Fowler." Fowler shook his head in reply, and the Prime transformed, jumping and landing between Fowler and his safehouse.

Fowler jumped, but clenched his teeth. "No," he snarled, starting to go around Optimus.

Optimus put a hand down, blocking him. "Not so fast."

Fowler glared up at Optimus, refusing to speak, and the Prime's expression softened. "I know this must be uncomfortable for you....."

Fowler gestured to his missing arm and made a gesture asking, “ _ Ya think?! _ ” 

"Again, that could have been avoided-"

"If I'd given in," Fowler replied; if Prime had said it once, he’d said it a thousand times. 

"Yes."

"Or if you'd taken no for an answer."

".......yes."

Fowler moved to get around Optimus's hand, and Optimus shuffled closer to the door, blocking it.

"But you can't. You're  _ soooo _ sure you're in the right, aren't you?"

"Because we  _ are _ , Agent Fowler."

Fowler laughed bitterly. "Bull$#@%. You hunted us down. Made our lives hell. I'm being hunted by the same people I tried to protect."

"We are only attempting to help you, Agent Fowler. Why can you not see that?"

Fowler opened his mouth to reply, to pour out his rage, to curse the Autobots and the Decepticons for ever coming here- but his legs trembled and gave way, and what strength he could have used to answer left him.

Optimus caught him before he fell, gently cradling him as he lifted him up. "Rest well, Agent Fowler. You will be better soon enough."

Fowler had run out of strength. All he could do was watch as a groundbridge opened in front of the Prime.

Optimus stepped through, delicately passing him off to Ratchet. "Take good care of him."

“I will.” Ratchet cradled Fowler and put him into a jar of nanites, smiling. "And just like that, we have them all."


	9. A/N: Self Promotion

Side note before I do a couple sad things with Vehicons: I've picked an older story back up: one where Wheeljack is the god of madness and the Wreckers have to play a game with him with their lives/souls on the line. Any commentary would be appreciated. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23803990


	10. A/N: Watch

I'm working on the next chapter, but I want to tell you guys a couple _totally non-related_ things. 

1\. Ultra Magnus in this still has serious beef with Wheeljack. 

2\. Techno-organics are assimilation victims that managed to escape before it finished. It hurts. A lot. And their 'sires' obsess over them. 

That in mind, see you next chapter! 


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